On Target

They’re one of the world’s biggest retailers, and now Target US have broken away from the fast-fashion pack by launching their first line of locally made garments and accessories.

Teaming up with six iconic made-in-the-USA labels, the limited edition Target Collective range has been introduced to stores to showcase quality, workmanship and sustainable manufacture. Interestingly, the collection is targeted at a male audience, and includes button-down shirts, hand-tooled belts, and unisex luggage and outdoors gear. Now making headlines for the right reasons, its a turnaround from 2013 when Target were infamously linked to the Rana Plaza Factory collapse in Dhaka. One of the first companies to sign onto the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, since then, Target Australia have been rounding-out their ethical sourcing and transparency policy, and recently made news when they published part of a list of manufacturing partners online, prompting Oxfam to praise the retail giant as a trendsetter in the move towards greater corporate responsibility.

But with 47 individual factories already named in Bangladesh alone (and a comprehensive global list yet to be released), the scope of Target’s manufacturing is huge, and full transparency remains a challenge. Will Target Australia follow cue and pursue the same local production values as their US partner?